Cedar Park City Council on Aug. 7 voted to set the maximum tax rate for its next budget year at $0.36 per $100 of appraised property value.
The vote set the maximum tax rate the city could adopt under its budget that will be in effect from Oct. 1 until Sept. 30, 2026. The city can still adopt a lower tax rate than proposed, and the vote set two public hearings on the budget for Sept. 4 and Sept. 11.
The details: The city’s proposed FY 2025-26 budget currently accounts for $215.2 million, Interim Director of Finance Erica Solis said at the council meeting.
The general fund, which funds day to day operations, is set at $82.9 million. There’s $45 million in the city’s utility fund, and there’s $87.3 million in the restricted fund, which provides funding for special purposes in the city.
Updated student code of conduct approved in Round Rock ISD
Round Rock ISD's student code of conduct is getting a few updates as a result of new legislation passed during the 89th Texas Legislature, which concluded June 2.
Why now? The district's board of trustees adopted the changes to the code of conduct Aug. 14.
Some context: According to the district, the code of conduct guiding standards for student behavior is reviewed and revised as needed each year.
Students have access to physical and online copies of the student code of conduct at the start of each year, or upon enrollment into the district, district documents state.
Literacy Partners program now accepting volunteer applications as school year begins
Community members can spend 30 minutes a week helping children increase their reading literacy at a local elementary school with Education Connection’s Literacy Partners program.
Diving in deeper: Now accepting applications for the 2025-26 school year, the nonprofit organization partners with 18 school districts across Central Texas to serve in 121 schools. The program allows volunteers to read once a week with two students selected by classroom teachers for 15 minutes each.
Volunteers must pass a school district background check and sign a pledge to protect student confidentiality, according to the organization. Necessary training will be provided to volunteers by Education Connection.
The background : Education Connection created its literacy partnership program in 2009 with the goal of having every child reading by the end of third grade, according to previous Community Impact reporting.
After two years in operation, the city is reporting that more homeless clients served at the Marshalling Yard shelter are finding housing after they exit the facility.
The details: The Marshalling Yard was originally built as a warehouse facility for the Austin Convention Center, but was transitioned into a shelter amid a 2023 push to add more beds for the homeless citywide. Since then, it's nearly 1,800 people have been served there including less than 300 who found stable housing.
The congregate shelter has always been viewed as a temporary solution, and city staff plan to eventually replace it with new, larger facilities or through partnerships with other area organizations. The city's recently approved budget and tax increase—requiring voter approval this fall—would support a wide range of ongoing homeless services, while a permanent shelter project with hundreds of beds could be included in Austin's 2026 bond.
